


The Maiden and the Selkie

by HuntingHardyGirl



Category: Supernatural
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Magic, Marriage, Song fic, all that wonderful stuff, inspired by a song, selkie!au, yes - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-09
Updated: 2016-05-09
Packaged: 2018-06-07 09:39:56
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,313
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6798691
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HuntingHardyGirl/pseuds/HuntingHardyGirl
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>“Once a fair and handsome seal lord set his foot upon the sand, for to woo the fisher’s daughter, and to claim her marriage hand.</p><p>‘I have come in from the ocean, I have come in from the sea, and I’ll not go to the waves, love, lest you come along with me.’”</p><p>-Heather Dale</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Maiden and the Selkie

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Minxchester (ComeAlongPond14)](https://archiveofourown.org/users/ComeAlongPond14/gifts).



> Note: This story was inspired by Heather Dale's song, "The Maiden and the Selkie". In an effort to help it along, I have used direct lines from the song itself into the dialogue. I do not own the song nor the characters associated with Supernatural.

He was a very handsome man, Taylor thought, with his windswept hair and deep green eyes and freckles dancing over his skin. A true lord of the sea, shedding his seal skin and sunbathing on the beach many a time. He had a kind face, a kind demeanor. He told her tales over the years, of his kingdom under the sea, and the young fisher’s daughter fell in love with him. And he, in turn, fell in love with the beautiful young woman, fell in love with her sweet voice as she sang to the waves, enticing him with her songs.

One day, the sky was as blue as could be, white fluffy clouds rolling through, the sun shining brightly. As Taylor went down the beach, watching the frothy waves washing over her feet, she looked up in time to see Dean coming out of the ocean. He was dressed rather nicely today, rather than his usual loose shirt and trousers, revealing his status in his kingdom. He smiled as he saw her. “Hello, beloved.”

“Hello my lord,” she replied, giving a small curtsy. “To what do I owe the pleasure of this visit?”

“We have known each other for many years,” Dean told her. “I find you to be a very interesting and compassionate young woman. I have loved you for a long time.” Reaching out, he took her hand and kissed it. “I have come to request your hand in marriage.”

“Marriage?” Her eyes widened in surprise.

“Yes. I would be honored if you would become my wife. You could come with me to my kingdom below the sea, and we could rule together. You’ll want for nothing, everything and anything you need, I will provide.”

The girl knew she had to be blushing. She loved Dean very much, and she was flattered that he wanted to marry her. But there was one problem…

“My lord, long have I loved you, as a selkie on the foam. I would gladly go and wed you, and be lady of your home,” she said sincerely. “But I cannot go into the ocean; I cannot go into the sea. I would drown beneath the waves, love, if I went along with thee.”

Dean smiled, giving her fingers a gentle, reassuring squeeze. “Lady, long have I loved you. I will have you for my wife. I will stay upon your shoreline, though it robs me of my life. I will stay one night beside you; never go back to the sea. I will stay and be thy husband, though it be the death of me.”

That wasn’t a very preferable. As magical creatures, selkies had their own weaknesses. Living on shore past midnight usually had disastrous results, with many a selkie dying before the moon could cross the sky. While Taylor loved Dean, she did not want to become a widow on her own wedding night. She couldn’t bear to watch her lover die, he deserved a long and happy life. Even if their union wasn’t usual, perhaps they could make it work, with him in the sea and her on land.

But then an idea came into her mind and she started to smile, Dean watching the light in her eyes growing with curiosity. “What are you thinking, my love?”

“My grandmother. She has knowledge of magic, maybe she could help us,” Taylor said excitedly. “She lives near the sea, come!” Without any hesitation she started running further down the beach, with Dean running beside her, their hands still clasped together.

It took a small while before they finally came upon an old woman’s hut, the woman herself sitting on the porch whittling a flute. When she heard their footsteps, she looked up, squinting against the sunlight but smiling as her beloved granddaughter came up to her, breathless and pink cheeked. “Taylor, what a pleasant surprise. What has you so happy, my child?”

“Grandmother Gertrude! My selkie lord has requested my hand,” Taylor said, giving Dean a small push forward so that the older woman could get a look at him. 

Gertrude looked him over before giving a nod of approval. “I see. Well, I hope you’re prepared for her, sire. She’s a whirlwind of energy, she is.”

“Yes,” Dean agreed with a smile. “One of the many reasons as to why I love her so. But we have a small problem with the marriage; Taylor cannot live beneath the sea with me, she would drown, and I cannot live on land, I’ll die if midnight passes.”

“Hmmm.” She sat back in her chair. “Yes, that would be a problem.”

“Can you help us Grandmother?” Taylor asked, clasping her hands together. 

Gertrude frowned a little in thought before speaking slowly. “My lord I know not how to aid you; you can never live on shore. For your kind to live ‘til dawning has ne’er been seen before.”

Their faces fell. Of course that was common knowledge around this part of the village and beyond. If there was no hope…

“But,” Gertrude went on, a small twinkle appearing in her eyes, “my mother had a seal coat that she buried ‘neath the tree.” She pointed then, away from the beach and further up land, where an old elfin oak tree stood near the edge of the cliff, the leaves blowing in the wind. “And she told me that its wearer would become a fair selkie.”

It took a moment before the two realized what the old woman was saying and Taylor squealed, rushing to hug her. “Thank you! Thank you, thank you, thank you!”

Gertrude laughed, patting the girl’s back. “Of course, my darling one. Go, find the seal coat, have a good marriage with your lord.”

“I will! I will, Grandmother, thank you!”

The trip to the tree took some time, as it was already very late in the afternoon, and the lovers had to find a pair of shovels and bring some food along the way. Whilst climbing the hill, they tumbled a few times and took a few breaks, as Dean was beginning to feel weak the more time dragged on. When they finally reached the tree, Taylor insisted that he sit down beneath it while she started digging. As the sun slowly set and the full moon began to rise within the sky, she dug several holes before she finally found something.

They pulled it up together, an old wooden chest, the lock so corroded from time that snapping it off was easy. Slowly, they lifted the lid to find a seal skin wrapped under some linen, somehow perfectly preserved in the only way possible; magic.

“Are you ready now, my love?” Dean asked as she took the seal coat from the chest, running her fingers through the smooth thick skin and wrapped it around her shoulders. She looked absolutely beautiful under the moonlight, powerful even, and he knew he had made the right choice in choosing her as his wife.

Taylor smiled up at the seal lord and nodded. “Yes, I’m ready.”

Midnight was fast approaching, so instead of making the long trek back to the beach, the maiden and the selkie just took each other’s hands, and jumped off of the edge of the cliff, landing in the sea below. The foam overtook the both of them, the magic of the old seal coat coming back to life, stretching and overtaking the young woman, turning her into the most stunning seal the seal lord had ever seen.

They say if you return to the tree and sit beneath it every full moon, you can still feel their love, can still hear the fisher’s daughter’s lovely voice singing in the breeze, declaring her love to her selkie.

 

“Now they’ve gone into the ocean,  
Hand in hand into the sea.  
She has gone along,  
A fair seal bride for her selkie.”


End file.
